Dream machine acquired - SCM L’invicibile S50 planer

[Phillip Mitchell]

Just drug this wee beastie home after having this model at the top of my quest list for the last few years. The specs and size of this machine check all my boxes, now that I have a decent sized RPC. AND this one was only about 60 miles from home - practically unheard of compared to my other machine acquisitions :D

50 cm (19.685”) wide, 4 Knife cutterhead with on board grinder.
6.6 kW (~9 hp) 230V, 3 PH motor - Motor tag kW/HP actually isn’t marked, but every other one I’ve seen precision for sale lists 6.6 kW
2 speed feed works
Powered table raise and lower, but can override with handwheel for full stick shift mode in the event of apocalypse.
Weight is 1400–1500 # and it’s roughly a square 3’x3’ - fairly compact for it’s capacity, which is a big deal for my current shop.

There is limited info on this particular model online, most is in other languages, it appears to be made in the late 70s or early 80s, though that’s simply a guess.

From what I’ve read about older SCM(I) machines from this era, they don’t seem to be well supported by the company these days.
If anyone has any sources for parts, manual, dating, etc please feel free to share in this thread.

I test drove it at the seller’s shop. It planes wood and feeds well with no snipe that I noticed. Table raises and lowers very smoothly, though the powered raise and lower didn’t seem to be working. When toggling the switch, I heard the small motor making some amount of noise but no powered up or down. Not quite sure where to start, but I noticed the insulation on the smaller wires tied into the main wires (I’m assuming go to the power table motor) are pretty frayed and need to be replaced.

The 2 speed feed also didn’t seem to be working when I tested the planer, but after investigating after getting it home I think (hope) that it was simply out of adjustment and “off track.” I moved the lever where it should have been and I hope that fixed it, though I haven’t powered it up yet in my shop. Still need to wire up an appropriate cord for the machine and a receptacle from my RPC.

Loaded with a forklift onto my trailer at pickup and I used a pallet jack and site built wooden ramp to get it off the trailer, across the yard and into the walkout basement door. I had to take the door off the hinges and pull the door stops in order to squeeze it though the opening with about 1/2” to spare overall. Pretty smooth move overall. Better than the Tannewitz Type U I moved a month or so back on just black pipe.

I know forum member Jeff Duncan has one of these little green machines. Anybody else have experience with these planers?

ps- I also posted this over on OWWM so, apologies if you frequent both places for the repeat. Mostly a different crowd between here and there, though.

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[Patrick Kane]

For all the auctions I routinely browse—along with years of craigslist and all other manner of classifieds—I have never seen that machine. Interesting. I actually saw it on Instagram during the mass shop tour, which has proven to be an awesome idea. A lot of great machines there, wish there were more.

Congrats on the pickup. If you end up taking it apart a bit, please post photos. I’m always intrigued by the different feed mechanisms of planers. I assume this is sectional infeed roller, chip breaker etc? That’s a nice amount of power for 20”.

[Mike Kees]

Great score Phillip. That is a very capable looking machine. Hope everything works out,and have fun using that planer.

[Phillip Mitchell]

For all the auctions I routinely browse—along with years of craigslist and all other manner of classifieds—I have never seen that machine. Interesting. I actually saw it on Instagram during the mass shop tour, which has proven to be an awesome idea. A lot of great machines there, wish there were more.

Congrats on the pickup. If you end up taking it apart a bit, please post photos. I’m always intrigued by the different feed mechanisms of planers. I assume this is sectional infeed roller, chip breaker etc? That’s a nice amount of power for 20”.

It’s a bit of a rare bird it seems. For the last 2+ years that I’ve had my eyes open for one, I’ve seen 3 for sale. One on IRS auctions last year that was also actually in N.C. but the timing and price didn’t work out for me at the time. One on CL in Texas that was actually a Rockwell branded SCM, but same machine. It was way overpriced and the seller had no way to test it because he didn’t have 3 phase. Then this one, which was just an hour down the road and a good bit of a better deal (so far) than both the previous ones. It came out of a retired pro woodworker’s shop who made wooden ammunition boxes.

The one you saw on Instagram was mine. Bob Miller (@masswoodworks) has one of the best woodworking feeds on there and am always happy to see what he comes up with.

I will continue to post photos as I tear into the machine (as needed) if for no other reason than to create some amount of reference for this machine. I periodically searched the web for info on this model prior to buying one, and there’s not much. It seems like such a well built and simple machine that has some real staying power.

It has a sectional serrated infeed.

Next step is to do some wiring from my RPC to get it fully operational in my shop and troubleshoot the power raise and lower function that doesn’t seem to be working. I think I want to put a Wixey digital read out for the bed height as well. The scale is all metric, which isn’t inherently bad, but it would be nice to have an digital read out in inches as well.

[Bill Dufour]

Sounds like Benny Hill was the electronics genus on this Italian job as well as the movie. I do not see the DRO for the bed height.
Bill D.

[Phillip Mitchell]

I’m planning to add a Wixey digital read out. It’s a bit too old school to have one from the factory.

Edit: on second thought...the Wixey looks like it only goes to 6” height. This planer has a height capacity of 9 1/2”. Does anyone know of another option for aftermarket digital readout that will handle this range?

[Dan Friedrichs]

I’m planning to add a Wixey digital read out. It’s a bit too old school to have one from the factory.

Edit: on second thought...the Wixey looks like it only goes to 6” height. This planer has a height capacity of 9 1/2”. Does anyone know of another option for aftermarket digital readout that will handle this range?

10" range, much more industrial than the Wixey:
https://www.proscale.com/products/industry-applications/woodworking-cabinets/incremental-planer-sander-kit/ (https://www.proscale.com/products/industry-applications/woodworking-cabinets/incremental-planer-sander-kit/)

[David Kumm]

I think the 24" is a little more common. Might be. some info on owwm.org. Proscale is the one you want. Typically they do a promotion in Atlanta for IWWF so you might want to check if they will have a deal even without the exhibition. Dave

[Phillip Mitchell]

I think the 24" is a little more common. Might be. some info on owwm.org. Proscale is the one you want. Typically they do a promotion in Atlanta for IWWF so you might want to check if they will have a deal even without the exhibition. Dave

Thanks Dave and Dan. It looks like the Proscale is $100 off (of regular price of $400.) I don’t know if that’s the IWWF promotion or not, but will look into it. Looks like a solid unit.

Dave, I’ve searched over at OWWM a good bit prior to purchasing this machine and found a handful of mentions, but nothing too detailed. It seems like it’s a bit of a rare bird, and yes, I think you’re right that the 24” (x63 models) are more common.

[Brian Tymchak]

50 cm (19.685”) wide, 4 Knife cutterhead with on board grinder.


I have no experience with machinery of this scale. But I'm curious what the "on board grinder" is for? Is this to facilitate chip collection?

Thanks!

[Mike Kees]

Brian this ,Grinds-sharpens knives to the same level in place in the cutterhead.

[Phillip Mitchell]

I have no experience with machinery of this scale. But I'm curious what the "on board grinder" is for? Is this to facilitate chip collection?

Thanks!

Brian,

The grinder is attached to the top of the machine, poised above the cutterhead on a pair of parallel rails. It’s literally a small diameter grinder wheel / motor that travels along the length of the cutterhead knives and grinds the knives while the are still installed on the machine.

From what I’m told, it can grind in very light passes which don’t necessitate resetting the heights until after several light grinds.

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[Phillip Mitchell]

I’ve posted a lot of photos of the feedworks, bed raise and lower mechanism, etc over on OWWM. If anyone is interested in seeing these up close shots and details, I’ll be happy to post them here. Most of my motivation for posting about this machine is to create some more details, content and discourse about these machines as there wasn’t much out there for me to learn prior to purchasing it.

[Alex Zeller]

I have an igaging DRO for my planer. They make it in different lengths with a remote display. I got a 12" long one and it works fine. I had a round rare earth magnet that I mounted to the bottom and I just found a spot that was easy to see but out of the way. It was well under $100 so I don't know if the quality it the same as the Proscale but so far it's worked flawlessly.

[Brian Tymchak]

Thanks guys! Wasn't even thinking about the knives...:o

[Phillip Mitchell]

I have an igaging DRO for my planer. They make it in different lengths with a remote display. I got a 12" long one and it works fine. I had a round rare earth magnet that I mounted to the bottom and I just found a spot that was easy to see but out of the way. It was well under $100 so I don't know if the quality it the same as the Proscale but so far it's worked flawlessly.

Alex,

Thanks for the input. Is this the one you have? https://www.amazon.com/iGaging-Absolute-Digital-Stainless-Accuracy/dp/B00KWCV5MI

Does itself turn off automatically or do you have to turn it off manually when you’re done? Have you noticed any issues with vibration from the planer affecting your read outs or the wiring connections in the unit?

[Patrick Kane]

You need to be careful with some of the gauges, there are a few POSs out there. I think the jet and Powermatic Gauge needs to be zeroed out every time you go to use it. Who ever thought that was acceptable? I look at these gauges the same way I treat my meat thermometer. I have a relatively expensive thermometer, $75-100, I forget the exact number), but the alternative is a potentially inaccurate or inconsistent tool. Ruin one $60 tomahawk and you would happily pony up for the right tool. Same for going too thin on a stack of walnut etc. For what it’s worth, I had a wixey on a table saw many years ago and found it to be consistent and accurate.

I need to spend more time on OWWM. I’m glad I’m not the only one that is unfamiliar with this machine. Wonder why it’s so rare? Just in the States?

What is the consensus with onboard grinders, generally? I always considered them to be a brilliant idea until I read something along the lines of “no self-respecting German would ever tolerate grinding knives in place and spewing abrasive grit within the machine”, and that caused me to pause. That author has a point, by grinding in place, you are potentially introducing abrasive and metal bits into the feed assembly of your machine. Perhaps it’s not a big deal, I mean, many american machines are pushing 70-80 with grinders.

[Phillip Mitchell]

The only thing I can think of regarding the rarity is that there probably weren’t that many of them sold in the US and maybe it was an expensive enough model when new that there just weren’t that many of them sold period *shrug* ? I feel like I’ve seen 50 SCMI S520 20” planers to every one of these. Maybe SCM didn’t have much market share in the US until later (late 80s - early 90s) though that’s me talking out of school a little bit and I have no clue. I can say that when searching for info on this model almost all of the search hits are from machines in Europe, so that supports that theory.

I’d like to hear more of the finer points of onboard knife grinding as well. This is the first machine that I’ve owned with this feature and am not sure what to expect in reality. I’d imagine you could try and rig up some sort of dust collection if it was a horrible mess.

[Phillip Mitchell]

Here are some more up-close photos for reference.

These show the 2 speed feed works.

From what I can tell (though I’ve been wrong before once or twice) the brake lever (lower to the right) need to be engaged to change speeds. The brake drops the large internal wheel down slightly where it contacts a flat and stops the feedworks. I’m assuming that slight drop positions the “collar”’of the wheel such that the tab on the back of the speed change lever either pulls or pushes the collar and therefore the entire wheel along the central shaft to change the engaged speed. A photo that I saw of another S50 machine online (in Europe) indicated that the two speeds were 25 fpm and 43 fpm, although who knows what may have changed between the years and machines that were imported to different markets.

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[Phillip Mitchell]

Motor plate reads “CV - 9” , which from my research of French and Italian motor plates is “cheval-vapeur” and a metric unit of HP that is roughly equivalent to the HP that we know and love.

Someone please correct me if this is wrong.

The kW tag is unmarked from what I can see.

Serial # is also visible and appears to read - B40921 (?)

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[Phillip Mitchell]

The table raise and lower mechanism is a large central cylinder / shaft (with a locking lever.)

I’m assuming the 2 knobs on the right front of the table are for adjusting the height of the bed rollers? Thread / height lock knob on the right side and the actual height adjustment knob on the front. The rollers spin freely, but are a bit gunked up with pitch, etc.

As you can see, I need to replace the frayed / degraded smaller wiring (that I’m assuming feeds the table raise and lower motor.) That motor is just behind / inside the base and below the hand wheel and not very easy to access or even inspect visually. I may have to jack up the machine on large timber blocking enough to crawl under it and inspect and repair from underneath like a vehicle on a lift?

There isn’t a lick of sheet metal on this machine. It’s all cast iron and pretty beefy for its size.

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[Patrick Kane]

I assume you are on the right page. Much like the invincible 160 shaper. I’ve seen more of that shaper, but it’s still rare. Unfortunately for me, I watched one sell for $400 a few hours north of me at auction last week. Bunch of machines that sold for cheap, but there’s no room at the inn.

What diameter is the cutterhead?

[Alex Zeller]

Alex,

Thanks for the input. Is this the one you have? https://www.amazon.com/iGaging-Absolute-Digital-Stainless-Accuracy/dp/B00KWCV5MI

Does itself turn off automatically or do you have to turn it off manually when you’re done? Have you noticed any issues with vibration from the planer affecting your read outs or the wiring connections in the unit?

I went with the one that had an aluminum rule. https://www.amazon.com/iGaging-35-712-P-Digital-Readout-Display/dp/B01G4FQJI6/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&th=1
I figured the stainless steel might have less flex. Not sure if it matters though as the bed seams to have no play. I do find that the fraction feature is only sort of useful. Compared to decimal or metric it's not very precise. On my 4 post planer 1/64" is about a 1/4 turn on the raising/ lowering wheel. The stainless version is suppose to be a little more accurate but even the aluminum one is accurate to .003" over the 8" range of my planer. The stainless one says it's sealed to IP54 standards but they look identical.

I don't think it has an auto power off feature. I'm guessing that if you have it installed on a milling machine you wouldn't want it to turn off in the middle of cutting. It does have an optional power supply (which is what I use). The one thing it's lacking is a back lit display. I can understand not having one to save batteries but when using AC power it would make reading the display easier. The numbers are very large but, at least in my shop, the display reflects light so it can b a little difficult to read if looking at it from an angle. With a planer it's not really a big deal since you just set it and then lock the planer in place. For $50 I figure if it works well I can always upgrade down the road.

[Lisa Starr]

Phillip - If the angle for reading the S/N is giving you difficultly, at work, I often use my phone to just reach in a snap a pic blindly. Often the thin phone can get directly above the plate and give a good image. Then I just blow it up to read.

[Erik Loza]

The only thing I can think of regarding the rarity is that there probably weren’t that many of them sold in the US and maybe it was an expensive enough model when new that there just weren’t that many of them sold period *shrug* ?

That's correct. Regarding the grinder, I always thought of that from the same era as bandsaws with welders. I've never personally used one or even seen one in a shop. AWESOME machine by the way. Keep us updated on the progress.

Erik

[Phillip Mitchell]

I assume you are on the right page. Much like the invincible 160 shaper. I’ve seen more of that shaper, but it’s still rare. Unfortunately for me, I watched one sell for $400 a few hours north of me at auction last week. Bunch of machines that sold for cheap, but there’s no room at the inn.

What diameter is the cutterhead?

Was that the one on IRS? I saw one on there recently. I think it went for a little more than that, but still not much considering.

The cutterhead is a approximately 4 3/4” in diameter, though I didn’t give it an exact measurement, that was an eyeball from above with the ruler held above it.

[Phillip Mitchell]

I’m happy to report that I wired a new cord and twist lock plug on the machine this evening and my 10 HP Kay RPC (MA-R 2 VS) fired up the planer no problem. I’m feeding the RPC with a dedicated 60 amp single phase circuit, which is what Kay recommends for 10 HP output 3 phase.

I haven’t planed any wood yet with in my shop, but from what I’ve read, the start up amperage can be one of the highest loads (momentarily) and large planers in particular can be a “hard start” for an RPC. Relieved that it seems to be satisfactory.

Definitely seems like my minimal fiddling with the feed lever placement has solved that problem and I have both low and high feed speeds.

Next up is cleaning / checking the bed rollers, inspecting the chip breaker, and figuring out the grinder. It may be time for the knives to get a dressing.

Thanks for all the comments!

[Phillip Mitchell]

That's correct. Regarding the grinder, I always thought of that from the same era as bandsaws with welders. I've never personally used one or even seen one in a shop. AWESOME machine by the way. Keep us updated on the progress.

Erik

Erik,

Do you have any history on SCM as a company, specifically on the L’invicibile line of this era? I’ve tried searching online for more general SCM knowledge of this vintage and am coming up mostly empty.

Do you have any leads on where I might look for and find a manual / original sales sheets, etc for this machine?

[Joe Calhoon]

You might find a sales brochure if you dig around this site.
https://wtp.hoechsmann.com/en/lexikon/10733/scm

I bought my first green invincible SCM in the late 70s when Rockwell imported and rebadged them. They went to the tan color about that time.
they displayed at the Louisville show before that and am sure they had dealers in the US before Rockwell sold them.

[Jeff Duncan]

Hi Phillip, just saw this post and sent you a PM with some info.

Jeff

[Erik Loza]

Erik,

Do you have any history on SCM as a company, specifically on the L’invicibile line of this era? I’ve tried searching online for more general SCM knowledge of this vintage and am coming up mostly empty.

Do you have any leads on where I might look for and find a manual / original sales sheets, etc for this machine?

Phillip, I know a little about SCM Group as a company... :D :cool:

OK, far as manuals or documentation, unfortunately nonexistent due to the vintage of your machine. All that early iron was sold through a dealer network and dealers are notoriously terrible at offering any type of support or resources once they drop or discontinue a certain line. As terrific as the parts folks at SCM Group-North America are, they’re probably not going to be able to offer anything in terms of support for a machine that old. That being said, assuming all the major structural parts are there, stuff like bearings, electrics, belts, etc. can be sourced pretty readily through third-party vendors. So, you shouldn’t have any issues getting it up and running, assuming nothing major is missing. I understand there are some forums out there specifically dedicated to old iron. You might try asking around there and seeing if someone maybe has some old literature. Hope this helps!

Erik

[Phillip Mitchell]

Joe and Erik,

Thank you for the details. From the info on the German site Joe linked to, this appears to be a mid-late 70s model. It’s hard to know what specs and details transfer from the European market machines to the US market. The motor HP specs don’t line up with my machine (mine has more HP.)

[Erik Loza]

...The motor HP specs don’t line up with my machine (mine has more HP.)

The dealers were notorious for ordering Italian machines with all sorts of wacky motor options in the early days. Is it a 60Hz motor?

Erik

[Phillip Mitchell]

The dealers were notorious for ordering Italian machines with all sorts of wacky motor options in the early days. Is it a 60Hz motor?

Erik

Yes, 60 Hz 230V.

[Erik Loza]

Yes, 60 Hz 230V.

I cringed a little when typing that question. Good to hear.

Erik

[Phillip Mitchell]

Hi Phillip, just saw this post and sent you a PM with some info.

Jeff

Thank you Jeff for your PM. Your information about the power up and down put me on the right track.

Happy to report that I think I have the powered table raise and lower function working properly now.

Just below the hand wheel there is a rubber cylinder that turns on a shaft (connected to the small motor just inside the base.)

Upon closer inspection, the rubber wheel was spinning but had either worn smaller from use and / or the mounting points had slid down in their slotted holes over time. The rubber wheel was about 1/16 below the hand wheel and obviously not making contact.

Hopefully this fix is as simple as loosening the mounting bolts, holding the assembly up to contact the bottom of the hand wheel and tightening it back down. We’ll see how long this adjustment holds.

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[David Kumm]

does the grinder have a wheel and is there a jointing stone also? The first step is grinding the knives and there should be a way to lock the head for that operation. The scary part is using the jointing stone for the secondary bevel. That is done while the head is running. Obviously the stone just kisses the knives while you hide under something protective. Dave

[Warren Lake]

Dave how does the bevel angle work. Ive seen people do the stone thing so then all knives are even but the bevel has no relief. Ive heard the heel of the knife hitting the wood or seen wood sort of floating as it was being jointed.

Does the secondary bevel gizmo give it a steeper angle for heel relief? Or do you choose the angle of that secondary bevel? If so how far is it run, how many new bevels before the next grind.

[Erik Loza]

...Upon closer inspection, the rubber wheel was spinning but had either worn smaller from use and / or the mounting points had slid down in their slotted holes over time. The rubber wheel was about 1/16 below the hand wheel and obviously not making contact...

No surprise there. I'll bet it has dried and shrunk. You can probably get it re-coated with either rubber or polyuethane. Someone was just talking about that in a recent thread.

Erik

[Phillip Mitchell]

does the grinder have a wheel and is there a jointing stone also? The first step is grinding the knives and there should be a way to lock the head for that operation. The scary part is using the jointing stone for the secondary bevel. That is done while the head is running. Obviously the stone just kisses the knives while you hide under something protective. Dave

LOL. Something protective indeed. The grinder has a wheel, but I don’t have a jointing stone. Is jointing the secondary bevel after grinding absolutely necessary? I feel like I’ve read some differing opinions on this topic, but can’t recall where or what the consensus was.

[Phillip Mitchell]

No surprise there. I'll bet it has dried and shrunk. You can probably get it re-coated with either rubber or polyuethane. Someone was just talking about that in a recent thread.

Erik

Interesting. Do you remember what thread that was in? I’m skeptical that my adjustment will last forever, but seems to be holding up for now, but some more “gription” on the rubber wheel seems like it could be a good thing.

[Erik Loza]

Interesting. Do you remember what thread that was in? I’m skeptical that my adjustment will last forever, but seems to be holding up for now, but some more “gription” on the rubber wheel seems like it could be a good thing.


https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?284034-Felder-AD751-feel-roller-breakdown

You could also just use a block of wood with some sandpaper to break the glaze in a pinch. Hope this helps,

Erik

[Brian Holcombe]

Replace the old grinding wheel with a new grinding wheel. My understanding is that the bonding does not last forever.

[Curt Harms]

I’m planning to add a Wixey digital read out. It’s a bit too old school to have one from the factory.

Edit: on second thought...the Wixey looks like it only goes to 6” height. This planer has a height capacity of 9 1/2”. Does anyone know of another option for aftermarket digital readout that will handle this range?

iGaging has a 12" one. I have one on a Jet JJP12. I had to get creative with how to mount it but it works well. 2 2032 batteries last about 2 years for me though I don't use the machine frequently. DROs are a good solution to the inch/metric question.

[Brian Holcombe]

For a machine of that quality IMO I would think that something from Mitutoyo or similar level of quality would be called for. It’s a top quality machine, spending a few more bucks upfront to get similar quality in accessories seems well suited.

I have some mitutoyo digital stuff that is over 20yrs old still working perfectly. By comparison the one time I did buy an inexpensive gauge from a well known company it died in a few years or daily use. That reinforced my perspective that the inexpensive tools just mean that you buy it once, it dies and then you buy a better one later.

[Phillip Mitchell]

For a machine of that quality IMO I would think that something from Mitutoyo or similar level of quality would be called for. It’s a top quality machine, spending a few more bucks upfront to get similar quality in accessories seems well suited.

I have some mitutoyo digital stuff that is over 20yrs old still working perfectly. By comparison the one time I did buy an inexpensive gauge from a well known company it died in a few years or daily use. That reinforced my perspective that the inexpensive tools just mean that you buy it once, it dies and then you buy a better one later.

Thanks Brian. I agree. I’m considering the ProScale 10” DRO. I looked briefly earlier, but only saw a 6” travel Mitutoyo DRO. Do you happen to know if they make one that travels at least 10”?

[Brian Holcombe]

Proscale looks like a nice setup. Here is the mitutoyo catalog, I’m not sure which style you are interested in but they will definitely be able to cover that range.

https://ecatalog.mitutoyo.com/Digital-Scale-and-DRO-Systems-C104.aspx

[Mark e Kessler]

I would go with an Accurate Technology unit, I had several used in a commercial shop with heavy usage on a slider then used on a cabinet saw without issues ever once for 20+ years except for the copper battery terminal got screwed up due to battery leakage, the company is great, they sent me new ones and didn’t even charge, they even offered to upgrade at a reduced cost since I had one of the originals that they made.

https://www.proscale.com/products/



I’m planning to add a Wixey digital read out. It’s a bit too old school to have one from the factory.

Edit: on second thought...the Wixey looks like it only goes to 6” height. This planer has a height capacity of 9 1/2”. Does anyone know of another option for aftermarket digital readout that will handle this range?

[Phillip Mitchell]

Just a small update. A kind soul over on OWWM who has owned this planer for 40+ years was nice enough to scan and upload the manual for this machine. Several different google searches yielded no such manual for me prior to this, so I'm happy to have it downloaded. I'll upload it here just in case someone else comes along after me and is looking for it as I was.

Edit: the size of the PDF is apparently too large to upload to this forum, so if someone wants to download it go here -> http://www.owwm.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=215971 or contact me and I'm happy to email the PDF.

[Phillip Mitchell]

I pulled out each knife and gib / knife locking bar and all its associated bolts and screws sequentially last night and deep cleaned each piece, let them dry and reset all the knifes. Relieved that all the gib bolts where in good condition, none of them stuck or rounded heads and everything cleaned up pretty well with some elbow grease. There was a good bit of crud built up, and I’m glad I went systematically through and checked and cleaned everything.

I didn’t snap a photo of it happening, but I used the supplied factory knife setting jig and it made quick work of setting the knives. The cleaning was a bit tedious, so it was nice to have the jig. I could probably pull and reset knives in the future in about 5 minutes (or less) per knife if there was no cleaning and scrubbing involved.

My next step is to grind the knives.

Looking at the position of a few of the chip breakers, they are not exactly in plane with the others. I’m wondering if I should attempt to line them all up 100% or leave them alone for now and see how wood feeds after grinding. They are spring loaded and have a set screw to adjust their “height”, but the 1 section that seems the most out of plane appears to be the only broken set screw.

The last 3 photos are pre-cleaning and you can see the tops of the sectional chipbreaker in the 2nd photo.

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[Jeff Duncan]

Yeah mine are a little wonky as well. Doesn't really bother me as everything works well. I'd try running material and see how she does before tinkering around to much.

JeffD

[Phillip Mitchell]

I ground the knives last night. The adjustment of the height of the grinder is an interesting arrangement. Not as precise or positive as I’d like it to be, but it is what it is.

The weird thing is that after cleaning everything up from grinding, I went to start the machine and it was as if my phase converter couldn’t handle the load to start it. I started the machine previously in my shop multiple times (with exact same RPC and wiring) about a week ago, so I’m a bit puzzled. The lights dim a bit when attempted to start the planer. The main service is 200 amp single phase. I’m showing my ignorance with loads and amps, but is it possible that for some reason there wasn’t enough amperage available to feed the RPC a full 60 amps to start the planer? It seems like a breaker somewhere would trip if I was calling for more than 200 amps at once and seems highly unlikely as this was late last night and the other household loads (basement shop that shares panel with house) didn’t seem that high, but who knows...

After pressing the start button it would begin to start / cutterhead and feed start to rotate for maybe half a second or a little more in some cases but then cut out before reaching full speed. The phase converter kept on running (didn’t trip main single phase 60 amp input breaker.). The RPC had been running a while prior to this as I was operating the grinder on the machine (small 3 phase Motor) but in theory is should be able to run for hours on end and still have 10 hp worth on demand.

One thing I noticed once running it initially in my shop is that the start button is actually a plastic threaded “plunger” type mechanism that engages the actual switch inside the starter. The plastic plunger seems a bit bent and looks like it could be slipping off the side of the actual start switch (which is a square plastic plunging mechanism) before it has the chance to get 100% positive engagement. Seems like it would either be on or off and no in between, but this could be part of the problem. I hope it’s as simple as this and not an issue with the RPC.

I will disassemble the plastic start plunger mechanism and see if I can reinstall it / bend it back where it needs to be to positively engage the start button inside the starter.

Any thoughts?

[Bradley Gray]

Since you just used the grinding jig, is there any chance the head lock for grinding is still partially engaged?

That would certainly make it harder to start.

[Warren Lake]

I had one switch apart a start button about 20 plus times till I got it to work and only then by bending some contacts. Since its worked fine.

The roto they are all diff. My brand 10 HP will start a 10 HP load. It will bump to 165 amps on turn on split second then idle to whatever. Model I have has extra gizmos in it to make it stronger than the base model, Voltage regulation and bit more. Then they had a hard start model. Mine started a heavy load 10 HP motor with no issues ever. Id check your manufacturer first ive seen enough posts that say you need 20 hp model to start 10 HP and that is wrong based on the brand I have, 10 HP starts 10 HP. 3HP roto starts 3 HP, id started 4 HP many times on the MOrtise machine and the roto could not care less., lower load to start than some machines. The 3hp Combo machine has a heavy head and shaft and 3 HP roto simple same brand old no extra stuff worked fine as well.

Also be sure you dont run the manufactured phase from the roto to the contact that goes to the coil. I took a coil out doing that then replaced it and fine since

[Phillip Mitchell]

Bradley,

Funny you should mention that...the first time I tried to start it after grinding, I’d forgotten to unlock the cutterhead and realized it immediately and pressed the stop button in as fast as possible. Unlocked it after that, but I sure felt like a dummy for a few minutes. I hope I didn’t damage anything by accidentally doing that for a split second, although it seems like damage to the actual cutterhead from that seems unlikely as it’s not like it’s moving then suddenly stopped by a lock, but instead locked from the beginning and building up friction somewhere else momentarily.

Warren,

Thanks for the thoughts. I’ll take a look at the switch this evening. I hope that’s what’s going on.

My RPC is a Kay Phasemaster MA-R 2 VS, which is rated to start up to a 10 hp motor and will run 30 hp. It started the machine multiple times about a week ago so I have a hard time believing that it now won’t and it’s in the RPC.

Thank you both for the replies.

[Warren Lake]

likely every old guy has forgotten once or twice to take the spindle lock pin out once or twice in their lifetime. Never heard of perm damage from that. I would think if you loaded it enough then it would take out the high amp setting in the switch.

Also I dont know that machine but some machines have transformers. A thing one day I learned about putting a continuity tester on for some reason and two phases lit it up? Puzzled I was told the machine likely has a transformer, then told the coil will be on that circuit. Number of guys here know this stuff inside and out.

[Phillip Mitchell]

I tore apart the switch and fussed with it and I think I’ve solved my problem, hopefully.

Turns out the metal box that those plastic switches screw into was slightly dented around the area of the start plunger, which was contributing to it engaging on a slight angle. That combined with the slightly bent plastic plunger and I think it was barely hitting the start button inside and sliding off the side before fully engaging the switch. At least I hope that’s what was going on. No issues just starting it several times and planing some hard maple.

I have a little bit of work to do on my grinding technique, though. The knives came to me with a fairly sizable nick right down the center of the blades and it looks like I didn’t quite grind it out 100%. I may need to grind them down a good bit more and reset them once they are fresh as it will be removing a decent amount of steel to get past the nick.

I’m really enjoying the overall quality of this machine so far. It’s actually been fun diagnosing and solving all the minor little problems to get it up and running in optimal condition and feels like it’s a nice enough machine to be worth going the extra mile for.

Thanks for the help!

[Jon Fiebing]

Hi all,

I will use this thread to ask a few questions on a machine project.


A shout out to Mike Farrington's video on youtube on his work on a SCM S520.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA4fk6WQ2k8


He inspired me to do the same thing and I have my own SCM S 520 ( 95 model).
Will add some items to my tool kit; the Harbor freight parts cleaner and an engine hoist.
Hope to get an insert head, and may use that Hermance Helixhead that so many speak highly of.
If I take the head out will I be able to measure it and make sure I get a head that will fit it?
Or is it better to send it in to Hermance?

It came with no operators manual, so if anyone knows where I could download one thankyou. No luck so far.


My first question is related to the gearbox, it has the 4 pos rotating knob in front.
Is it only supposed to be shifted when running or is supposed to shift when off?
Mine will not shift so well( when off) to all of the gears so I want to figure out if that is not right.
It will not shift into the position labelled #1 because there is a stop on the shaft to limit the travel.
That must be on purpose but I don't now why.

Should I take the gearbox out of the machine and open it up? Take it to a shop with presses and such to do the same, or forget about it for now?

Once I get it apart is it fine to use the old bearings, chains belts, or I should take advantage of this and go for new ones?


The label of the mahine says

10/06/95

S520

Codice Schema AB93....

Codice dist. 2934....

Fornit E.S. 953107

anybody able to tell me which one is the serial number?

Has anyone changed boots for the four posts on such a planer? Is it hard? Where did you get new boots?


I thank anyone in advance for helping me along.

Jon Fiebing-Studio Bullseye.

[Kevin Jenness]

You will probably get more responses posting anew rather than tagging on to a 5 year old thread.

The feed speed should be changed while running.

I would send the head in, that way they are responsible for the measurements.

[Phillip Mitchell]

Jon,

Congrats in the S520. I’m sure it will shape up to be a fantastic machine.

I don’t have answers to most of your questions, but I have talked with tech support at SCM USA and SCM in Canada for 2 of my (older than yours) SCM machines and they have had PDF copies of owners manuals as well as spare parts / service manuals that they’ve emailed me for free and quickly. If you’re having trouble finding manuals online then I would give them a call and just talk to them. Your machine is new enough that they may have more support and knowledge about it than my older (late 70s era) machines, as well as spare parts should you need them. You will want to be sitting down when asking for pricing on NOS spare parts.

One tip that someone told me along the way was to call SCM Canada for information about the older machines and that they are a little more helpful and staffed better to actually know the older machines, which I found to be true to an extent.

[Erik Loza]

Codice Schema AB93....

anybody able to tell me which one is the serial number?


I bolded it in red. Hope this helps.

Erik